Description
Book SynopsisIn the Acts of the Apostles, the speeches may be persuasive, but the whole story should also be seen as an act of persuasion. In How Ancient Narratives Persuade: Acts in Its Literary Context, Eric Clouston takes a fresh approach to interpreting Acts, treating it as a persuasive narrative. Comparison with other Greek narratives allows Clouston to show how events and characters––and how they are described as worthy of trust, empathy, or respect, as well as their speeches and narrator asides––all have different persuasive effects. His examination of the persuasive effects of narrative in Acts leads at last to conclusions about the purpose of the work directed to a readership unconvinced by the figure of Paul.
Table of Contents1. Why Study the Persuasiveness of Narrative? 2. How to Identify the Persuasive Features of a Narrative 3. Narrative Persuasion in Philo’s Embassy to Gaius 4. Narrative Persuasion in Josephus’s Jewish War 5. Narrative Persuasion in Joseph and Aseneth 6. Narrative Persuasion in the Letter of Aristeas 7. Basic Literary Analysis of Acts 8. Narrative Persuasion in Acts 9. Case Study: The Cornelius Episode, Acts 10:1–11:18 10. Comparison Between the Five Texts 11. Revisiting the Purpose of Acts 12. Conclusions
